s/v Field Trip

On paper, this was to be a beautiful sail - winds abeam or just behind the entire way, winds between 12 and 18 knots, and swell of about a meter from behind. BUT… gribs aren’t always accurate and passage planning is never a sure thing. If I’ve learned anything over the past 25,000 miles of sailing, it is this - never set your heart on what weather forecasts or route planners predict. Plan for the worst, and be pleasantly surprised at anything better. Mark had high hopes to not run a motor the entire 28-hour trip, but within the first few hours, we were bobbing along with flapping sails at less than 2 knots. Where was that 12-18 knots? Motors ran for 8 hours total on and off and the sails went up and down during a squally night. By 9 a.m. on the first day out, Mark realized that our fishing lines had been tangling for the past 2 hours. They were a twisted, knotted mess! We figured out a detangling strategy and took turns unspinning and re-winding the line on two had reels. It was ...

From Havana, we sailed straight up to the Maskelynes, trying to pass Kerry and Damian on Sel Citron early in the morning to get a head start.  Diana and Graham were already in Lutes and we decided to join the pack once again to explore the clam sanctuary and participate in the Vanuatu Independence Day celebrations. The entrance to the anchorage was a bit of a nail-biter with one section narrow and quite shallow (3 m) edged by reef.  We used the satellite images to plot a course and also cross-referenced the course with the waypoints given in the guidebooks.  Still, I stood up on the bow, keeping a lookout for hazards below and cringing as the crystal clear water made things look so close to the surface!  Mark carefully monitored the depth sounder over the shallow bit, and we were fine.  The opposite challenge awaited us in the deep, dark waters of the anchorage.  And we took care to put out 5 to 1 scope in the 20+ meters, leaving plenty of swing room...

Port Resolution is known as the anchorage to pull into when you want to take the Mt. Yasur volcano tour, but there is more to this location than what they tell you in Trip Advisor.  Stanley at the Yacht Club is happy to help organize your volcano tour, but make sure to leave some time to visit the villagers, watch them weaving, browse the handicraft stall, and have a coffee at the café. That’s when you’ll be greeted with the warm friendliness that is the true glow of Tanna. A teacher from the village paraded us around and introduced us to some of her family members.  She told us that her 8-year-old son was still up in the bush (and had been for two weeks) as part of his circumcision ceremony.  Messengers had been running food from her to him, and sending news of his well being.  I imagined what it would be like to send Michael up into the bush to fend for himself as he prepares to step into his manhood.  Yikes.  I’d be a wreck! Among the huts, ladies...

Author: Mark Date: Dec 15, 2016, 7.30am - Guadalcanal Location: 09 50.2 S - 160 52.3 E Conditions: 0-5kts NW, calm anchorage with sunny skies, and a bar of 1005 We finally made it to Guadalcanal. We've been here for five days now, and it is great. We are anchored off the southern tip of Marapa Island. We used SAS Planet to find this snug little spot. Prior to anchoring, I took the dinghy ashore to confirm with the chief it was OK to anchor. He said yes, but to make sure we favored the East side of the channel, as the West side and reef is taboo for women. Yep, women are not allowed to be on the reef to the west of our anchorage. It is an ancient burial site for their warriors, and customary for men only to be allowed on the reef. I asked the chief how many yachts anchor in this area, and he said no yacht has ever anchored here. YEAH! We LOVE to find those spots that are not in guidebooks, or cruising notes - and find our own way off the 'beaten path'. In ...

Author: Sarah Date: Dec 8, 2016, 7am - Three Sisters Solomon Islands Location: 10 16 S - 161 58 E Conditions: 0-5kts ESE, calm anchorage with overcast skies and a bar of 1006 This morning at 4:45 a.m. the boat began to shake severely. Both of us were awoken and disoriented with the sensation. It was as if we were sailing along a bumpy gravel road, but that couldn't be possible, could it? The rumbling, grinding sound that came from below our hulls even sounded like that's what was happening. Mark leaped out of bed, thinking our anchor had come loose and we were being dragged across the nearby reef. However the reality was perhaps even more frightening - we were experiencing a major earthquake. It felt as if someone had switched on the jacuzzi jets as the released energy vibrated the waters around us. Sleep still heavy in our eyes and minds, we couldn't quite comprehend it all. I looked across the bay toward SV Rehua, noticing that their cockpit lights had come on...